Death Note: Redemption
by KrAzY-LiTtLe-ImP
Summary: Have you ever thought of what the world was like after the death of Light Yagami, KIRA? And what of the families--the children--who were orphaned by his "justice"? What if another Death Note were to surface? An OC Death Note story--Slight Near/OC later
1. Chapter 1: Corruption

**! Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters within this story besides the OC's. All credit for Death Note goes to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, not me.**

**1: Corruption**

Buildings blurred into simple smears of grey as her feet propelled her through the city streets. Colossal baums of glass and concrete ascended to tangled treetops of iron and wire, all of which she scaled with ease. This was her domain, her jungle. This was her urban playground. Japan.

Worn rubber soles beat relentlessly against the cold cement, and lungs ached for air long deprived. Wind whipped at her light blue locks, scattering the unevenly cut tresses about her face. Her chest heaved with heavy breaths, the wind burning her airways as she ran.

And yet she was content with her strenuous jaunt. The excursion was a daily routine, a welcomed escape from the confines of her home. She wouldn't have it any other way.

Her cold grey eyes focused on her destination as it came into view.

A small, dilapidated building hid in shambles among the pristine towers built encircling it. It was a forgotten theatre, wooden boards and recycled garbage replacing once beautiful windows and roofing.

Thankfully, the public had completely forgotten the building, leaving it open for children such as herself to occupy. It wasn't exceptionally large, but the space was more than enough to house a few dozen orphaned broods. It was home.

The girl easily leapt across rooftops, using ledges and stripped beams to make her way to the ragged building lying only a few meters away. She brought two fingers to her mouth. Placing her finger and thumb together, she released a shrill whistle that echoed throughout the city confines. This, apparently, signaled the others waiting inside of her return.

A single slab of plywood, serving as a makeshift shutter, creaked open to reveal a handful of impatient children. They waved and grinned, elated to see her again.

With one last bound, she landed on the theater's shallow windowsill and gracefully dove into the small opening, only to be knocked over from behind.

Her assailant, a small boy around the age of twelve, locked his arms tightly around her waist. He looked up at her anxiously and whispered, "Renni…!"

The other children excitedly called, "Serenity! Serenity!"

They scampered around her, all impatiently fighting for a chance to speak. Their excitement was more intense than usual, and the worried boy clinging to her waist increased her curiosity.

"Jeez, Cid, what's with the sneak-attack?" she asked, turning to face the troubled youth. Serenity ruffled his auburn hair, soothing him in the only way she knew how. "Now, c'mon, what's got you so spooked, Little Man?"

"It's 'prolly got somethin' to do with Xander," one boy piped up, looking at Cid with concern. The other children scowled and chided him for stealing the attention.

"What? But Xander's been gone for weeks," Serenity countered, continuing to pet her captor's head.

"Nuh-uh! Xander came back just a 'lil before you did!" another child, a girl this time, corrected. "Cid must've thought it was you 'cause he ran up an nearly tackled Xander, too."

"But what's wrong with that? You like Xander, right, Cid?" Serenity asked, looking down at the worried boy in her arms. He gripped her shirt and shook his head resolutely. "Well, why not? What brought this sudden change of heart?"

"Xander's lost it, big time," a boy answered, receiving words of disapproval from his peers.

"He's been acting real weird, Serenity. He's all distant-looking and babbling about KIRA," another added.

"But he's always talking about KIRA. We all are," she shot back.

"Not like this. He's talking nonsense! 'KIRA's right. We mustn't go against justice!' He's loony alright," the same impolite boy continued. "You should go see him. Maybe you can knock some sense into him."

Serenity hesitated, thinking over the situation. If Xander really had gone mad, she wasn't sure she knew a solution. Besides, Cid's alarmed state seemed more pressing at the moment. Xander was older than Cid--although only by three years. He could take care of himself for now.

"Maybe later," she replied, standing and pulling Cid up with her. "I need a nap. Cid, you should rest a bit, too."

Cid nodded and, without loosening his grip on her shirt, walked alongside her towards the sleeping quarters.

***

Sleep, unfortunately, was not as easily obtained as Serenity had hoped. She tossed and turned in her small makeshift bed, fighting off the conflicted thoughts that plagued her mind.

Cid, on the other hand, had no difficulties slipping off into a peaceful dreamland, his left hand still clamped onto Serenity's shirt. Her thrashing did not inconvenience him, nor did her constant groans and murmurs. He merely cuddled closer, sighed, and drifted even deeper into his slumber.

Finally, after a few hours of sleepless flailing, Serenity accompanied Cid in a deep slumber, her exhaustion overcoming the torrent of thoughts. It was more of a dark unconsciousness than sleep, but it was restful nonetheless.

***

Serenity awoke to the gentle prodding of Cid's small hands on her shoulder. He held the same worried expression on his face as before, but this time she knew the cause.

Behind him stood the fairly tall, lanky figure of a boy with obsidian-black hair and piercing blue eyes. It was none other than Xander. His face looked exactly as it had a few weeks ago, save the unusual expression it held.

Serenity eyed Xander warily. She obviously knew the boy in front of her and yet something about him seemed alien, foreign.

He smiled a familiar smile, the one he only used for her, but it didn't reach his eyes. They seemed to be somewhere else, dancing about as if he were watching something she couldn't see.

"Now, where have you been?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him as she sat up.

"Missed you, too," Xander replied, his smile growing. He took a couple steps forward and looked around the room at the many children running about.

Cid, noticing Xander's close proximity, climbed onto the bed to sit behind Serenity. He watched Xander cautiously from over her shoulder, once again claiming the section of shirt at Serenity's side in his hand.

"Y'know, both Mother and Father have been worrying about you…"Serenity sighed, placing her hand over Cid's. She then looked up at Xander, a soft smile gracing her features as she added, "It's been a real pain. Without you here, my work as a Hunter has doubled…but I have missed you. You have a lot of explaining to do."

Glancing at her with his flickering blue eyes, he replied almost sheepishly, "I have so much to tell you, but it's a bit crowded in here, isn't it?"

Recognizing his proposition, Serenity nodded and moved to stand. Cid hesitantly remained on the bed at first, holding her back by her shirt, but eventually conceded to standing as well. He walked behind her, anxiously glancing back to Xander, as Serenity led them down a corridor and up a couple flights of stairs. The stairs had once led to a door opening to the theatre roof, but it was boarded shut. No one ever bothered to climb the many stairs just to reach a dead end, making this the best--and probably only--spot for privacy.

Taking a seat on the top step, Serenity pulled Cid to sit in front of her and wrapped her arms around his shoulders comfortingly. Xander opted to stand, leaning against the wall as he began, "You know, I did a lot of thinking during my last job…"

"Oh? Did it hurt much?" Serenity teased, resting her chin on the top of Cid's head.

"Ha ha…Anyway, I've been trying to share this with the others, but they just don't seem to understand. They're saying I'm crazy for thinking this. I think they've been in the Clan too long. Their minds have been…corrupted, tainted. But, you…! You'll listen, won't you? You'll understand. I know you will…"

Serenity looked at Xander with concern. He was rambling, babbling to himself, and she had no idea what he was talking about. This must have been what the other children were talking about.

"Wait. Slow down, Xander. What are you talking about?" She asked slowly, watching his eyes dance about the stairwell as his hands nervously fidgeted with the edges of his jacket.

"I think, maybe--no, not maybe--definitely, we're doing the wrong thing here. The more I time I spent with them, the more I agreed with the KIRA worshippers. Watching the news, reading the papers or reports--there are so many crimes in this world, and the police don't do a thing to stop them! And we…! _We_ are even _worse_ than the police! By eliminating criminals, KIRA was bringing true justice to the world, and those who worship him are only trying to continue his work! Don't you see? He is the god who erases the bad people from the world so that we can live happily, Renni. KIRA _is_ justice! If you had his power, wouldn't you do the same thing?" Xander vindicated. His eyes were wide and seeking acceptance from hers. "Instead of hunting down and sabotaging the KIRA worshippers, we should be helping them!"

Unfortunately, Serenity didn't return his enthusiasm. She sat dumbstruck as if she couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.

Slowly, her blank stare narrowed angrily. She spoke slowly and softly as to not attract attention from the children dwelling downstairs. Her tone, although low, rumbled with a threatening undertone as she replied sternly, "No, Xander, I don't 'see'. Did you forget? My father was _killed_ by KIRA eight years ago. He was innocent, and was killed because he was suspected of a crime--_suspected_! Where's the justice in that?"

Xander looked at her with the same wide eyes, shocked and obviously disappointed by her reply.

"I…I know…but…" he stammered, struggling to find an argument.

Serenity took a deep breath and continued in a calmer tone, "Xander, look…You don't look like you're feeling well. You've been gone for two weeks now, and I know you've been working hard. I'll take over your jobs until you're better, so why don't you rest for a couple of days? I can't have you working when you're like this, anyway."

He looked at her blankly for a moment and then nodded slowly, regaining his composure. His eyes calmed, although they still danced around the room, and a soft smile curved his lips.

Xander casually scratched the back of his head, chuckling softly to himself as he replied, "I guess you're right, Renni…Now that you mention it, I do feel kinda tired."

Noticing that Xander had returned to normal, Serenity's expression softened and she smiled. Releasing her grip on Cid, she stood and followed Xander down the stairs. Cid followed directly behind her, once again clasping her shirt in his hand desperately.

Serenity followed Xander into the sleeping quarters, stopping at the edge of his bed to watch him climb in. Once she felt he was comfortable, Serenity began to leave but was stopped once more by Xander.

"Wait! Renni, I almost forgot. Uh, just before I got back, I got word that Old Man Subaru has another tip for me. Could you go see what it is?"

She smiled and nodded. Grabbing Cid by the hand, she walked over to her bed and grabbed her coat, scarf, and shoes. Quickly, she placed them on and guided Cid into his own coat and shoes.

Before they left the sleeping quarters, Serenity turned to Xander and waved, smiling. He returned the wave, making sure she was out of sight before he allowed the sinister grin to cross his lips.

For someone almost three years older than him, she was way too naïve and trusting.


	2. Chapter 2: Deception

******! Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters within this story besides the OC's. All credit for Death Note goes to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, not me.**

**2. Deception**

Serenity sighed as she walked down the crowded street, gently pulling Cid along by the hand. Aside from the occasional glances and snide remarks concerning the unusual color of her hair, they passed through the street unnoticed by others.

Cid, hearing her sigh, looked up worriedly and squeezed her hand. Serenity looked down and smiled reassuringly, ruffling his hair with her free hand.

"Oh, don't worry, Cid. I'm just thinking about my talk with Xander," she said as she turned down an alley at the end of the block. Cid followed obediently, watching her intently as she continued, "I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling. Something just isn't sitting right…"

They walked to the end of the alley, stopping at a rusty metal door nearly hidden amongst old wooden crates and cardboard boxes. Knocking lightly, Serenity opened the door and stepped into the back room of Deep Blue, a local and well-visited bar.

Daisuke Subaru, the bar's owner and one of Xander's best sources of information, entered the back room cautiously at the sound of the door being opened, brandishing a broom as his defense. Upon seeing Serenity and Cid, he relaxed ever so slightly but seemed clueless as to why they were there. He placed the broom in the corner and walked over to them.

"Damn, you kids nearly gave me a heart-attack!" he groaned, taking a seat on a nearby crate. Subaru sighed, running one of his hands through whatever he had left of hair, and turned to address Serenity with his usual gruff tone. "Well? You got business here or somethin'? I don't have any scraps if that's what you're looking for, not today."

Confused, Serenity stared at the man momentarily. Furrowing her brow, she shook her head and responded slowly, "No…You…you have business for us. Information. Right?"

It was Subaru's turn to look confused, which quickly turned to a scowl.

"I don't know where you got that idea, but I don't got nothing for you kids. If this is some kind of trick--!" he snapped, standing from the crate and heading back to the storefront. "I ain't gonna sit around playing games with you all. I'm no babysitter. Get!"

A chill ran up Serenity's spine as the earlier feeling of trepidation returned tenfold. Everything seemed to stop as her mind fought to find the source of her anxiety, but her heart already knew the answer.

"Xander."

The words barely registered as she gasped out the name, wrenching Cid by the arm as she burst out the back door. Serenity's feet slammed into the hard concrete, jettisoning her with such force that Cid nearly stumbled and fell as he tried to keep pace. Her heart raced as the blood in her veins ran cold, devastating fear taking hold of her body as she ran back to the compound.

_Why? What is he--! No! Got to stop! You've got to stop him! You've got to stop him before he--I don't know--but you have to stop him!_ _You've got to stop him NOW!!!_

Her mind screamed repeatedly as it forced the adrenaline through her body in a desperate attempt to make her move faster.

She plowed through the crowds as she hit the main road, ignorant to the grunts and shouts that resulted. Cid struggled to keep up, practically being dragged behind her. It wasn't until she turned the bend at the end of the road and sprinted down the narrow path leading to the abandoned theatre that Serenity finally let go of Cid's hand, finally allowing him to run at his own pace.

Refusing to stop as she reached the building, Serenity used her momentum to slam into the front doors, which had long since been boarded up by the inhabitants. With a sickening crackling sound, the planks on inside of the doors gave way and Serenity went tumbling into the theatre's main lobby.

The first thing Serenity noticed was the silence.

If she hadn't known better, Serenity would have sworn that the pulse that hammered in her head had blown her eardrums out. There was nothing--none of the ever-present ruckus that usually filled the walls. No laughing, screaming, crying…nothing.

She wheezed, lungs aching for the air she had denied them, and her eyes blurred as a sudden case of light-headedness hit her. Unsteadily, she made her way to the second set of doors, the ones leading to the main stage. Fearing what she might find, Serenity slowly pushed the doors open.

Her eyes widened in paralyzing horror as she took in her surroundings. She fell to her knees, as tears welled in her eyes and then streamed down her cheeks to fall forgotten on the floor below. Her heart ceased and the image before her froze, chilling her to the core like a frigid wind.

The second thing Serenity noticed was the…bodies.

Sprawled across the aisles, the stage, the rafters, countless bodies lay limp like discarded rag dolls. Their faces were twisted in pain and horror, hands grabbing their chests in agony. She could almost hear their screams now, a morbid scene of their demise playing back in her mind as she imagined what had happened.

Her eyes roamed the room, absorbing the devastation and death. Unblinking--they seemed frozen that way. She doubted she would ever be able to close them again, which didn't seem necessary since she knew she would never be able to sleep again.

The third thing Serenity noticed was _him_.

Xander. He sat with his back to her, leaning over what seemed to be a simple notebook while holding a conversation with himself. He whispered something, pointed to the notebook, and then nodded as if answering his own questions. Then he whispered something else, counted something out on four of his fingers, and frowned.

Shakily, Serenity stood and inched closer to the stage, whimpering as she stepped over a couple of her fellow family members. Hearing her, Xander whipped his head around to stare at her with his dancing eyes. He turned, smiled slightly, and greeted Serenity like nothing had happened.

"Renni, you're back! Oh, you don't look so happy…Don't be mad, okay?" he said, scratching the back of his head.

"Xander…what did you do…?" Serenity gaped. She couldn't even comprehend what was going on, and his reaction wasn't helping any either.

He looked at her in surprise, as if he expected her to know already. Then, picking up the small notebook at his side, he held it up and replied eagerly, "You won't believe what I got, Renni! This, this here--this book is what KIRA used to get rid of all the bad guys! Well, it's not the _same_ one…but it's one just like it! All that stuff we learned about--the Death Note, the Shinigami, and the names--they're all true, Renni!"

Serenity ignored this response, passing it off as babbled nonsense. She narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice to a dangerous tone as she practically snarled, "No, Xander…What did you do?"

Xander's expression fell only slightly, Serenity's animosity making him feel uncomfortable. He opened the notebook to a page littered with names and held it up for her to see.

"I'm the only one who is able to continue KIRA's work now. They were against KIRA, so I had to get rid of them. All I had to do is write their names in this notebook and --bam! But don't worry, Renni, I'm not going to write your name or Cid's in it. I haven't written Hero's or Faith's either…Well, I _can't_, actually. I don't know your names…but I wouldn't do it anyway. I know you'll understand eventually, Renni," he explained, smiling sweetly at the girl standing before him.

Delicately, Serenity held out her hands--palms up--as she ordered sternly, "Xander, give me that book."

He looked at her, bewildered, and clutched the notebook to his chest protectively.

Her voice cold and threatening, Serenity repeated her order, "Xander, give me that book. This isn't a game. You…you _killed _everyone, Xander. They're gone--for good. That notebook is dangerous, and if you don't hand it over right now, so help me I'll--!"

Serenity lunged at the boy, aiming for the black notebook wrapped in his arms.

Xander dodged, jumping away just as her fingers enclosed around the bottom corner of the Death Note. He was so startled by her sudden assault that he was ignorant to the sound of a page ripping from within the book.

However, Serenity was not as ignorant. She examined the tattered leaflet in her hand, which seemed like nothing more than an average piece of notepaper. How could such a simple thing cause so much trouble?

And then she notice it--the distorted, lanky figure lurking ominously behind Xander. It wasn't human, or animal. It was…something completely different and supernatural on its own.

And it terrified her.

Falling back, Serenity stared in entire dumbstruck horror. Her body trembled--no shook--uncontrollably, convulsing her body in tiny spasms of jolts and shivers.

_What…is that?_

Xander took this moment to make his escape, running to the edge of the stage and climbing the stairwell to the fire exit. Stopping at the door, Xander leaned forward so that he could say one last thing before he left.

"Why don't you see, Renni? I'm doing the right thing! It needs to be done! You'll see, Renni…you'll understand soon," he said, nervously at first, but with the same sweet smile. With that, Xander disappeared out of the fire escape, the unusual creature dissolving into the door behind him as it closed.

Serenity was left on the stage, shaken and surrounded by the lifeless masses of children. Timid arms wrapped around her waist, trembling hands gripping the shirt at her stomach as a weight pressed itself just below her shoulders. Her back suddenly felt wet and she realized it was caused by tears, tears similar to those that trailed down her cheeks and onto her lap.

She pulled Cid onto her lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and holding his head to her chest. Pressing her face into his hair, she cried, all of her emotions balling into one outburst as she began to shake.

The ice in her veins slowly thawed, her pulse quickened and pounded in her ears. Tasting something metallic, Serenity realized she had been biting her lip to the point of breaking the skin. She lifted her head to glare at the door, picturing the traitorous boy standing there. As easy as it had come, her fear was gone and now something much stronger burned in her veins.

They were alone now. For the second time in their lives, their family had been taken away. _He_ had taken everything from them, and he hadn't even batted an eye. He had smiled and thought nothing of the lives he took…all for the sake of some twisted sense of justice?

_Screw justice…_

The fourth thing Serenity noticed was the deep, overwhelming thirst.

She had a thirst for _revenge_. And she planned on doing whatever it took to quench it.

**A/N: T_T Boo......sorry for the stifeling dramatic stuff...I promise to write some more light-hearted stuff next chapter. I would also predict the first appearances from some of the Death Note cast because I'm psychic and ninja and shizz...so, yeah...I'll try and get the next chapter up soon!! And a special thanks to BlueEclipse for being the first one to review!! YAY!!! Okay, enough of my random blabbiness...I'll go back to slaving away, typing on the computer *sniff* just because I love you guys...**


	3. Chapter 3: Desperation

******! Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters within this story besides the OC's. All credit for Death Note goes to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, not me.**

**3. Desperation**

"Why are adults so stupid? Hopefully it's just something that comes with old age or else I'd rather just not grow up, thank you very much!" Serenity mused aloud as she released an exasperated sigh.

They had just left the local police station for the third time that day. This time, however, they had been 'forcibly removed' after Serenity had finally lost her patience with a particularly thick-headed officer. No one seemed to believe--or wanted to for that matter--that the threat of KIRA was back.

Serenity had tried everything she possibly could think of, telling everyone from the main police branch to a traffic officer she had happened to encounter on the street. She had even tried to get a hold of the original members who she knew, through past research while in the Clan, had been part of the KIRA investigation, but no one would allow her to meet them.

Nothing worked, and she was continuously dismissed as a mischievous child with a wild imagination.

"Ignorance is bliss, I guess…" she groaned, searching her mind for more ideas. Wincing, she noticed how much her head was beginning to hurt, and the more she pushed her mind to work, the more the headaches increased. She was reaching the end of her rope.

It didn't help that all of this had happened within the same day. Her collective family had been killed, Xander had completely lost his mind and betrayed everyone, they had to leave the compound, and now she and Cid were alone, homeless, and exhausted.

Not to mention she seemed to have an increasingly strong urge to hit something--or someone.

Cid didn't seem to notice her tension. He was content with holding her hand as they walked, leaning his head against her arm.

On his back, Cid had adorned Serenity's satchel--a simple backpack decorated with feathery wings--which now held whatever remnants of home they could carry. The bag was heavy, completely packed with some scant supplies and important records, but he ignored it and placidly clung to Serenity's side.

He was relieved that, although she was now irritated and tired, her personality had somewhat brightened since the morning. It was unlikely that she had completely recovered from the earlier incident, but it was obvious that she was trying to act like she had in order to comfort him. That was what he admired about her--she was so strong in the young boy's eyes.

Suddenly, Serenity came to a halt, stopping quickly in her tracks. When Cid looked up at her in silent question, he noticed that her gaze was locked on something ahead of them.

Following her line of sight, Cid's eyes landed on a sleek black car--a police car--with four individuals stepping out of it. Each of them seemed like ordinary officers, nothing in the least seemed surprising or interesting about them at first glance. But he knew why she was so stunned. He had seen the reports.

They had been part of the Japanese KIRA investigation.

Breaking into a quick stride, Serenity pulled Cid across the street and headed straight for the four high-ranking officers. This was her last chance--_they _were her last chance.

"E-excuse me! E-excuse me!" she called, surprising herself with the panic in her tone. She was desperate, now, and it was apparent in her behavior.

Realizing that she was talking to them, the four officers turned to the strange young woman and watched as she came to a stop before them. The startled look in her eyes surprised them, causing them to become nervous and worried.

"Y-yes? What is it? Is something wrong?" one of the men asked. He was brawny and tall with a deep voice, but there was a hint of something in his tone that gave him away as a gentle individual. Searching through her mental database, Serenity identified him as being a man named Kanzo Mogi.

"Are you okay, Miss? Are you in trouble?" another asked, his voice a bit rougher than the one named Mogi. He had a stronger, more confident air around him. This was Suichi Aizawa, leader of their group in the NPA.

"I…I have something really important to tell you. I'm telling the truth, and I know it might sound ridiculous, but I swear it's true--so please…Please here me out!" she cried out, stumbling over words. They looked at her in destroyed but waited quietly for her to continue. Taking a shaky breath, she began to explain the situation.

Her only hope was that they'd believe her.

"I know this may sound crazy, but KIRA…KIRA is back! Well, not the same KIRA but another person taking his place! The deaths are starting up again, and I don't know who else to turn to. You've…you've got to stop him!!" she explained, panic taking hold of her voice once more.

They just looked at her with shocked expressions. She couldn't read what they were thinking.

Finally, the third officer spoke up. He seemed very irritated at her for some reason, his tone cold and threatening as he replied angrily, "What? You think this is funny? Beat it, kid!"

From what Serenity could remember from the police records, this man's name was Hideki Ide. The way he glared at her, Serenity made the assumption that there was no way he was going to listen to her. And from the looks of it, the other officers seemed to trust his judgment. Even Aizawa, who supposedly outranked him, nodded in agreement.

Ide glowered at her before pushing his way past her to the door of a diner. Mogi and Aizawa looked at her suspiciously before following him into the building. The final officer, one that had not spoken to her the entire time, walked past her quietly. This man looked younger than the others, kinder and friendlier as well. He entered behind the others, but glanced back at her apologetically before walking into the diner.

Serenity gaped as they dismissed her, her final hopes for assistance slipping away before her eyes. It wasn't possible. She had worked so hard.

And they just walked away…

No. They had _yelled_ at her and _then_ walked away.

Cid looked up at Serenity worriedly as she let go of his hand. Raising a brow in question, he watched as she mumbled to herself, chuckled, and shook her head.

"Maybe _I'm _the stupid one…I've been going about this all wrong…all wrong," she said, laughing with no hint of actual humor at all. She ambled over to the alley beside the diner, mumbling "all wrong, all wrong" and "stupid, so stupid" as she scrounged through a pile of trash.

Returning with a long, rusty pipe in hand, Serenity ignored Cid and his curious gaze and walked over to the diner's storefront window. She paused momentarily as she felt Cid tug on her sleeve. She looked down, smiled, and pushed him back gently so he was out of the way.

"Don't worry, Cid. It's not like I'm planning on smashing the window or anything…I just figured out that if going to the police won't work, maybe bringing them to me will," she replied calmly, but the sparkle in her eyes made Cid think otherwise.

Resuming her plan, Serenity turned back to the large window. Rolling her fingers into a loose fist, she gently rapped on the window until everyone inside was looking at her, including the officers. Smiling at them, she waved with the hand she had used to knock. They looked at her awkwardly, the one by the name of Matsuda hesitantly waving back as they did so. She then raised her other hand, the one holding the pipe, and pointed to it as she continued to smile at them. Their brows furrowed in confusion until she turned to point at the car behind her--_their _car.

Their eyes widened as she stepped over to the vehicle, wound back the pipe like a bat, and swung it full-force into the front. The car's hood bent back and swung open from the force of the impact, an alarm cried out as if in pain, and the headlights flickered and flashed.

The officers sat dumbfounded for a good two minutes as the customers around them gasped and murmured amongst themselves. Serenity stood in front of the car, smiling proudly at her handiwork and even prodded the crushed grill and fender with a foot.

It was only when she noticed the officers heading out of the diner that Serenity turned from the screaming police car.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" the officer Ide bellowed as he burst out the door.

Serenity stared at them blankly for a moment, dropped the pipe, and took off running.

It wasn't long before she had four very irritated police officers in tow. Obviously, had she been running at full speed, they would never have been able to catch up. But Serenity _wanted_ them to catch her.

She just wasn't going to make it _easy._

Serenity knew the city like the back of her hand--from the skyscrapers to the stray cats and dumpsters. She weaved through the crowds with ease, knocking over trashcans and whatnot to give the officers more obstacles. She jumped over benches, crossed streets while cars swerved, and turned down various alleys.

Serenity turned her head to make sure they were still following. She was surprised to see that, although very winded, the officers had actually gotten _closer._

Distracted, she accidentally turned down a wrong alley. This one was divided with a chain-linked fence, which posed a bit of a challenge.

Gritting her teeth, Serenity picked up speed and launched herself at the fence. She gripped the fencing tightly and hauled her weight up.

Unfortunately, she wasn't even midway up the fence when two pairs of hands grasped the tail of her trench coat and wrenched her down, causing her to hit the ground with a loud "Umph!".

She slowly looked up, smiling sheepishly at the four angry officers, as she scratched the back of her head.

Jokingly, she chuckled, "Now I know why superheroes don't wear capes anymore…"

However, the officers were not amused. She cringed as their glares intensified.

Shrugging, she put her hands up in defeat. They hoisted her up by the elbows and pinned her arms behind her back.

"Is this really necessary?" she mumbled, trying to wriggle her arms free.

The officers only glared at her and pushed her back in the direction of the car.

When they arrived back at the abused vehicle, Cid was waiting patiently. He sat beside the car, hands folded in his lap properly as he watched Serenity return in police custody.

"Hey, Cid! Wanna come with me and my new friends here? They're gonna bring me in for questioning. Doesn't that sound like fun?" Serenity grinned, receiving a disapproving look from Cid. "Aw, c'mon! This is what we wanted. Maybe they'll listen to us now," she added as they reached the car.

"Speaking of listening…do you guys hear that?" the younger officer commented. The others looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to explain what he was talking about. He obliged, pointing to the car as he replied, "The car alarm--it stopped."

Everyone looked at the car in surprise. Everyone except Serenity and Cid, that is.

"Oh, that was probably Cid. He hates loud noises like alarms. It probably got on his nerves, so he disabled it. He's pretty good at it, actually," Serenity explained, smiling down at the boy beside her.

"But, I could have sworn I locked it," Aizawa objected, walking over to the driver-side door. It opened with ease.

"Oh, yeah. He can also pop locks," Serenity added, bluntly, as if mentioning the weather. She raised an eyebrow as they looked at her oddly. "What?"

Aizawa sighed and walked over to open the rear door on the passenger side. Pointing inside the vehicle, he answered dryly, "I can't believe I'm doing this, but you two are temporarily under arrest. I don't even want to think about what might happen if I let you roam free…"

***

Serenity lounged in a metal chair while she waited in the dimly-lit room. Propping her feet on the metallic table placed in front of her, she sighed and leaned back further into the chair.

_This has to be the most boring moment in my life,_ she thought as she began tapping her feet rhythmically on the table. The clanking noise produced by her boots on the metal created an oddly catchy tune, and before long, she had completely lost herself in the melody.

Clank. Clank. Clank, clank, ca-clank.

Serenity was so preoccupied with her orchestrations that she was oblivious to the two men entering the room. Both Aizawa and Ide watched her awkwardly, wondering if or when they should speak up.

She began to tap her fingers on the chair along with her feet.

Clank. Tap, tap. Clank. Tap, tap. Clank, clank, ca-clank.

Ide's already feeble patience began to dwindle, his brow furrowing in frustration. Aizawa, on the other hand, seemed slightly more inclined to wait and settled for observing her.

Serenity became daring, purposely complicating the melody as she increased the pace of the tune.

Clank. Tap, tap, tap. Ca-clank, clank. Tap.

"That's enough!" Ide snapped, slamming his hands onto the table. "Stop joking around! This is not a game!!"

Both Aizawa and Serenity stared wide-eyed at the irritated officer. After a second, Serenity's eyes widened even more—if that were even possible—and her mouth fell agape in surprise.

Ide, suddenly self-conscious, coughed slightly and slumped back into his chair. He looked at Aizawa with an apologetic look and then averted his eyes to the table.

Aizawa sighed and leaned forward to rest his arms on the table. He focused the entirety of his attention on Serenity, his dark eyes locking intensely with her cool grey ones. She returned his gaze unwaveringly, determined not to look intimidated.

"I'm not going to say that we won't hear you out, but how can we be sure that what you say is true?" Aizawa began, his tone calm and even. "Do you understand the consequences if this all just turns out to be a prank?"

Serenity's eyes narrowed dangerously into an icy glare as she replied bitterly, "I've got fifty-eight dead orphans who say I'm telling the truth."

Both men were taken aback by her statement. The pain and bitterness in her tone alone were almost enough to convince them.

Almost.

"If there had been that many fatalities, don't you think we would have heard something about it?" Ide asked angrily. "Do you think that we are so blind that we wouldn't notice such a large amount of children gathered in one place?"

"I don't know about blind, but you guys might be deaf—that or stupid. I'm not sure which one…" she retorted, raising a brow tauntingly. "No, you _wouldn't_ have heard anything about it because you won't _listen_ to anything I say! I've been _trying _to tell you, and the rest of the stupid police force for that matter, about it but no one will give me the time of day!"

Aizawa and Ide exchanged glances, realizing that she had a point. Then Aizawa leaned forward and, as if preparing to share a secret, asked, "I'm not saying we believe you, not yet. But if you tell us everything you know, we might be more inclined to."

Serenity crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned back in the chair, casting a downward gaze at the two officers. Knowing she now held all of the cards, she smiled smugly and replied, "There's only one person I'm willing to tell."

Already knowing who she had in mind, Aizawa warily asked, "And who might that be?"

"The one who brought down KIRA the first time—I want to speak with Near."

**A/N: Gah! Sorry It took so long to update!! Between classes and housework, I couldn't find the time to type this up--I'm so sorry _**

**Well I hope you liked it. I tried to make it more light-hearted than the last two. I don't want to make it too depressing, now, do I? **

**Enjoy and don't forget--reviews give me a reason to live, so DON'T LET ME DIE!!! **


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